Open to God's New Word

Scripture – Galatians 1:1-5: ¹Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—²and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: ³Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflection: – Today begins a journey through this letter of Paul we call Galatians. And right off the bat, these opening verses are loaded with powerful Christian truth.

Paul begins by speaking of his own call to ministry. It comes not from any person, but from Christ. That’s the essence of any call to ministry – whether it be for a pastor of a church, a missionary to a different culture, a student in school or a secretary in an office. What is Christ calling me to do? How would He have me serve Him?

While there is much more here in these verses, the second big thing that stands out is that Jesus Christ “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.” There’s the essence of the good news (gospel). Christ gave Himself to rescue us. He volunteered to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. The “present evil age” has been with us throughout history. Without Him I would be helpless and hopeless in the midst of it today.

As we begin this movement through Galatians, open yourself to what God has to say to you. Specifically for today, what is your ministry where you are? From what has Christ rescued you?